For the attention of: Federico Trillo-Figueroa Martínez

Unite House
128 Theobald’s Road
London WC1X 8TN
Tel: 020 7611 2500
Fax: 020 7611 2555
CENTRAL OFFICE
For the attention of:
Federico Trillo-Figueroa Martínez-Conde
Embassy of Spain in the United Kingdom
39 Chesham Place
London SW1X8SB
Fax: 020 7259 53 92
E -mail : emb.londres@maec.es
17th February 2015
Dear Ambassador Federico Trillo-Figueroa Martínez-Conde,
Unite the Union Britain and Ireland’s largest trade union with over 1.4 million members
working across all sectors of the economy, calls upon you to relay to your government in
Madrid our most urgent appeal that all charges levelled by the Spanish authorities against
eight Airbus trade unionists (seven members of CCOO and one UGT member) be dropped
immediately.
The Airbus eight are awaiting trial for events that took place in front of the gate of the
Getafe factory during the 2010 general strike against the reform of the employment laws –
events resulting from the brutal police assault on the striking workers. The public
prosecutor’s office is asking for a prison sentence of eight years and three months for each
of the eight trade unionists, a total of 66 years.
During the first preliminary hearing the accused Airbus eight turned down the public
prosecutor’s offer to reduce the penalty from eight years and three months to two years,
since this would have involved agreeing that they had committed the crimes with which
they were charged, and of which they are completely innocent. As a result, the charges
stand as they were.
Already prison sentences have been handed down in trials in Pontevedra, Grenada and
Asturias, the latter involving five UGT members at Arcelor’s Gijón plant who have been
jailed, two of them for five years and three of them for three and a half years.
On February 18th 2015, the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) will be
organising an International Day of Action in defence of the right to strike and UNITE will
stand with the embattled Spanish trade unionists and in support of their right to strike.
Len McCluskey
General Secretary
www.unitetheunion.org
The right to strike is an indispensable component of the right to collective bargaining, a
cornerstone of trade union and democratic rights.
As supporters of trade union and democratic rights, we are outraged by the violations of
basic labour rights taking place under Article 315.3 of the Penal Code.
We call upon the government of Mariano Rajoy to drop all the charges against the trade
unionists, to repeal Article 315.3 of the Penal Code, and to respect the right to strike and all
the Conventions of the International Labour Organisation (ILO ) that it has ratified.
We would greatly appreciate your acknowledging receipt of this most urgent appeal.
Yours Sincerely,
Len McCluskey
UNITE General Secretary